Mama Rogue
by Nightcrawler's Shadow
Summary: Anna Marie would never forget her visit to Germany when she was eighteen, for several reasons. One, once you went to Germany, it was hard to forget it, and two, she became a mother.
1. Her Baby

Disclaimer: Me no own the X Men

**A/N: Ladies and gentlemen I ask that we take a moment of silence to commemorate a very horrible death in the Marvel universe. Kurt Wagner died in X Force # 26 fighting the good fight.**

A/N: All words spoken in this chapter are in German. In later chapters, the German will be in [brackets].

oOo

Chapter 1: Her Baby

Marie stepped out into the crisp winter air with a slight shiver as she left the small bakery she'd just gotten her breakfast from. Two bagels, fresh from the oven, were in a paper bag that was clasped by her gloved hand. Using her free hand she tugged her hat down over her ears, watching her breath form a faint white cloud before disappearing before her. She joined the small crowd walking down the cobblestone streets with a slight smile. Her decision to take a year long vacation to Germany had been her best decision yet! And she had only been here for a few months.

By now she'd gotten a decent grasp on the language –seeing as she studied it for the last few years non-stop- had settled into a comfortable routine and felt at home in the country. It was also nice that she could just be who she wanted; she didn't have to worry about anyone else. Irene (while loved) was a bit of a mother-hen in the worst of ways and it had been nice to get away and on her own. She was also glad to have gotten away from the prim and proper cheerleaders and jocks at her old school. It had started to get annoying a couple weeks before graduation when the jocks started bets on who could get the elusive Goth girl to go to prom with him.

She'd cleaned up good in that when she humiliated each of them in turn and ended up staying home, in her skull pyjamas watching old horror movies with a bowl of extra buttery popcorn on her lap.

She took another turn and started towards the bookshop before a flurry of shouting caught her ears. Turning her head, she saw a small crowd gathered around in a tight circle.

Her common sense told her to just keep moving, go about your day. Don't get involved. Yet her feet changed course and she started towards the ruckus.

Her heart started pounding and she quickened her pace, slipping slightly on patches of ice, but she didn't stop. Reaching the crowd, she started pushing through the people and caught sight of what all the pandemonium was about, and it chilled her soul. Imprinting in her mind forever so she would still wake up from nightmares later in life as she relived the scene.

A small figure, huddled in a ragged brown cloak was whimpering as a man threw apples at him. The poor boy's hood had come down, revealing a blue furry face, with pointed ears and bright gold eyes. But all that mattered to Marie was that he couldn't have been older than four years old and these people were attacking him!

The child was whimpering and crying, crimson spotted the snow here and there, portraying his injuries to the people.

Marie couldn't bring herself to do anything. She was frozen in her place as she watched the beating.

The boy cried out as an apple hit his probably already bruised shoulder and ran to the wall. At first, Marie thought he was disoriented as was about to run into it. Maybe he'd gone crazy from the pain and was trying to knock himself unconscious, or even kill himself. But all her suspicions were proven wrong as the boy grabbed the wall and kept going. He scaled the building with ease and disappeared over the roof, leaving behind a yelling crowd.

Her mind was still screaming at her to turn around and go on with her life, but her heart was louder, and it caused her to change course yet again and she found the closest ally following the boy's supposed direction and started down it.

Between the old buildings she was protected from the cold wind and hardly any snow had reached the street. She followed the short alley until she reached the next street. This street was completely deserted, but Marie could see oddly shaped prints in the snow heading towards a desolate looking building. The prints were so strange that she didn't think twice before following them.

The door of the building creaked as she pushed it open, having to use her shoulder and make use of her entire body to get it just far enough in so she could squeeze through. Inside the building, now shown to be an old church from the statues of the Virgin Mary and the wood carving of Jesus on the cross hanging above the alter, was cold and filthy.

She scrunched up her nose and picked her way carefully around the piles of trash and broken wood. Needless to say, this once beautiful place of worship was now no better than a trash site.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out, cupping her hands to make the sound travel farther. Her voice reverberated off the stone walls, causing an eerie echo and she shivered. This place was giving her a screaming case of the heebie-jeebies, but the thought of that poor little boy, alone, injured and scared, spurred her on.

She tried to find the child's prints again, and found them in the dust. He'd cleared a small trail through the church all the way to one of the back rooms. It had probably been where the robes were kept if the moth balls were any hint, but more importantly, she could hear soft sniffling coming from one of the corners.

Moving slowly so she wouldn't spook him, she crept closer and crouched before the tiny huddle by the wall.

"Hello little one_._" She greeted softly in German, the little boy probably wouldn't speak English.

His whimpers cut off and his head jerked up, showing a tear streaked face curtained by dirty indigo hair. He whimpered in fear and scuttled away from her, his feet slipping on the stone and his now obvious tail lashing from side to side like a broom.

"Hey, hey, I'm not going to hurt you. Are you hungry?" she opened the bag containing what would have been her breakfast and pulled out one bagel and held it out to him.

"It's okay, you can have it." He shook his head violently and she sighed.

~_He probably thinks I've poisoned it. ~_

She smiled softly again and took a bite from the bread and chewed before swallowing.

"See? Safe_."_ She held out the food again, he looked at the offering and licked his lips. Glancing up once more at her face, he slowly crept out on all fours and approached her. Sitting in a couch, he held out a hand, keeping his bright gold eyes on her at all times and took the bagel from her hand. She smiled and let him have it.

Immediately, the starved boy took a large bite of the food, chewing vigorously before swallowing and taking another bite. Marie giggled, "Slow down kiddo, you'll make yourself sick_."_

The boy swallowed and met her eyes again before grinning sheepishly and slowed down his eating process.

She smiled again and reached out to gently stroke his hair, running her hand through it and meeting many knots but not caring. She traced the point of his ear and then ran a hand down over his arm. He'd finished the food by now and was staring at her.

"Do you have a name? Mine's Marie_._" she spoke softly.

He shook his head.

"Where are your parents?"

"Idon't have parents." He replied quietly in the raspy voice that came from being undernourished.

Her heart broke, she felt it. A sharp pain in her chest and in her head as the little boy said those words. He said them so calmly; he'd accepted not having anyone to care for him.

"Come on, I want to take care of you." She opened her arms to him.

He stared at her warily, "Why?"

She smiled, "Because I want to be your mom_._" The words escaped her mouth, feeling perfect in every way. She wasn't second guessing herself.

His eyes widened, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He sniffed but walked forward and into her embrace. Gently she hugged him, being mindful that he probably had bruises galore over his entire body.

"What can I call you?" he asked drowsily into her shoulder as they left the church. Marie made sure his hood was in place before they entered the now heavily snowing streets.

"Whatever you want darling."

He sighed, "Can I call you Mama?"

She smiled, even through the happy tears that started in her eyes, "Of course you can."

oOo

Unlocking the front door of the house she'd rented for the year, she used her hip to nudge it in before entering. Closing the door behind her with her foot she toed off her boots and carried her new child to the bathroom. She set him on the rug in front of the bath tub, not caring that dirt, snow and other filth was getting on it.

"Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

He nodded slowly, looking nervous for some reason.

She gave him a warm smile and removed her own jacket and rolled up the sleeves of her thick green sweater before starting to unbuckle the front of the boy's robe. He was shaking badly and his tail was lashing.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stilling her hands.

He swallowed, "N-nothing."

She brushed his hair from his face, "C'mon baby, you can tell me anything."

He sniffed, "The bad men...they, they gave me hurts when they took off my clothes."

She knotted her eyebrows together in confusion, "Hurts?"

He nodded, "Mmhm, they laughed and hurted me." He sniffed again, "Please don't hurt me." He whimpered.

"Oh, no. I won't hurt you, baby, never." His meaning came clear. He'd been beat, that much was obvious and these 'bad men' had possibly raped him, it wasn't unheard of. Sickening, yes, but not unheard of. The very thought of someone doing that to her baby –for she had already started to think of him as her own- made her stomach twist into knots.

"Honey, I won't let anyone hurt you. Not ever."

He sniffed and rubbed at one eye with a small blue fist, "Promise?"

"Of course I do. Now, come on. Let's get you clean and then you can have a rest and something to eat." He gave her a wary smile but let her undress him. At the same time, Marie started to water running in the tub, not too hot to burn him, but warm enough to ward of the cold that had encased his thin form.

The boy shivered as cold air hit his bare body before Marie gently lifted him up and into the warm water. Shutting off the tap, she dipped a cup into the water and poured it over his head.

"Now, you're going to need a name, aren't ya?"

"A name? Of my own?" he sounded shocked.

"Of course! My baby's got to have a name."

He gave her a wide fanged grin and Marie giggled. It was goofy and seemed to light up the whole room; she hoped that smile would stay with him as he grew up. It was such a contrast to his appearance it was almost startling, but it helped you see past the fearsome exterior. She quickly dubbed it his mega-watt grin.

She thought as she carefully doused her baby with water. The little boy purred and closed his eyes before leaning back and dipping his head underwater then sat up. His fur dripped with water and Marie laughed.

"Okay, a haircut is also in order." She brushed his hair back, the long indigo locks having come to rest in front of his glowing eyes.

He nodded vigorously, apparently he enjoyed being cleaned up. Marie massaged the shampoo into his hair and rinsed it out before working it into his fur. The water was turning murky, but Marie was glad, it meant she was getting him clean.

"Name?" he spoke softly.

"Right. Now, let me think..." she used the shower head to rinse the conditioner from his fur.

He giggled, "That tickles."

"Okay, well you tell me which one you like. Thomas." He scrunched up his face and shook his head.

"Jonathan?" he stuck his tongue out.

"Daniel?" he shook his head again.

"Kurt?" he focused immediately.

"You like the name Kurt?" she asked with a smile.

He grinned, "Yeah!"

"Well then, from this day on, you are Kurt DiAncanto." She smiled happily, "We'll figure out a middle name later."

He smiled and nodded as he yawned and she lifted him from the tub as the water swirled down the drain, "You can pick it Mama." She smiled and towelled him off even as he quickly started to nod off.

"C'mon baby, let's go." She lifted her towel wrapped son into her arms and went to the bedroom where she found a baggy t-shirt. She pulled it over his head and tucked him into the giant bed. She'd need to go into town and find him some proper clothes.

He yawned and curled up in a small ball. "Sleep tight baby." She whispered softly and kissed his forehead.

"You sleep. I'm going to go get you some clothes, okay?"

He nodded groggily, "'Kay."

She kissed him again and padded from the room and quietly as she could, switching off the lights as she closed the door.

Grabbing her coat from the bathroom and pulling her boots back on, Marie left the house locking the door behind her and headed back into town. Keeping in mind that she didn't want Kurt waking up alone, she found the closest clothing store and entered, gladly getting out of the cold wind.

Shaking the snow from her hair and jacket, she headed to the children's clothing and tried to find something that would fit the sudden addition to her family.

Eventually she picked out several shirts and sweaters, a fair few baggy hoodies, several pairs of jeans and some slacks, all long and baggy to accommodate his unique legs. She grabbed some mitts –as gloves would have been ridiculous- a warm tuque and then underwear. Everything was taken up to the till and paid for quickly. She was in and out of the store within a half an hour.

Hefting her bags back up the house was no easy task, but she made it and finally dropped the bags on her couch with a relieved sigh. After kneading feeling back into her fingers and locking the door, she searched for her sewing kit in the hall closet. Finding it behind a few cleaning supplies and garbage bags, she set the machine up at the kitchen table and opened the first of the bags at her feet.

After taking a few quick measurements, she cut a neat hole in the seat of a pair of pants before sewing its edges securely to defer ripping, tearing or fraying. She repeated this process with the other pants and underwear.

"Mama?" a sleepy voice alerted her and she turned in her seat to see Kurt standing in the entrance to the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The black t-shirt she'd dressed him in earlier nearly reached the floor but still revealed his toe toed feet to her gaze.

"Hey baby. Did you just wake up?"

He nodded and came over to have her scoop him up onto her lap, "What're you doing?" he asked, slowly gaining more consciousness.

"Fixing you up some clothes."

Kurt's bright eyes took in the clothes spread out over the table and then the few decent sized folded stacks out farther on the table top.

"That's all for me?" he asked faintly.

"Yep."

He looked to the side and his tail twitched. Marie giggled, "I thought of that." Carefully setting him on the floor, she grabbed underwear, pants and a dark red sweater from three of the piles.

Several minutes later, Kurt was dressed and revelling at having clothes that fit him and were clean.

He laughed and looked behind him to see his tail swishing from side to side.

"Cool!" he then shocked Marie by doing a few back flips. He did them as naturally as breathing, showing grace it took Olympic gymnasts years to achieve.

"Thank you Mama!" he cheered and grabbed her legs in a hug. She smiled and stroked his hair, having cut it quickly before she dressed him. It was now neat and tidy, brushing just past his pointed ears. She thought he looked cute with it longer.

"You're welcome baby."

oOo

A/N: I love this story, there's so many possibilities for cuteness, and little Kurt is adorable!

**Next up: Cobwebs**

Summary: A future fic of the X Men, intermixed with flashbacks that led up to their current lives. Basically it's two stories, the future fic and the flashback fic. Kurtty, Revan, Loro, ScottXJean.

Probably the fluffiest thing I'll ever write.


	2. America

Chapter 2: America

A/N: From now on German with be in [brackets] English will be as is.

**Please remember that this took place a fair few years ago, before 9/11, so security is still a bit more lax. **

Marie tucked Kurt's head under her chin as they got off the plane. The little boy was fast asleep even as sun shone down brightly on airport.

Carefully shifting her sleeping son on her hip, she followed the crowd down through customs and then to baggage claim. She only had to wait a few minutes before spying her large black suitcase containing both hers and Kurt's things. She'd had all other amenities shipped to her new apartment.

Hefting her bag off the slowly turning conveyer belt of luggage, she popped out the handle and tugged it behind her, balancing Kurt with one arm, to head to the air-port parking. Having Kurt out in public was making her jumpy, even if he was covered from head to toe in baggy pants and a deep hooded sweater. She had gotten him through customs and security with a hell of a lot of luck and about a million lies. Saying her son had a skin condition and was allergic to the sun was the best thing she could think of for keeping them from pulling down his hood. She swore she'd never been so lucky in her life.

Several sliding doors and one elevator ride later, she reached her car and unlocked it. Putting a still sleeping Kurt in the backseat, she tossed the suitcase in the trunk before going to buckle Kurt in properly.

He woke up at the snap of the buckle.

"Mama?" he scrubbed at one hand with a small fist, "Vhere are ve?" over the last eight or so months, she'd been teaching him English and he'd managed to catch on with surprising ease.

"We're in America, sweetie. And we're heading home to see Oma."

Kurt perked up and his hood fell back, revealing a healthy boy of the age of nearly five, "Oma?"

She nodded, "Yep, Oma Irene, remember?" he nodded excitedly. For someone so young, he'd been incredible travelling. He'd sat calmly as the plane took off, then curled up on her lap and listened to her read quietly to him before falling asleep.

"Ve're going home now?"

She laughed lightly and nodded, "Yep. Just a couple hours of driving ahead of us."

Kurt nodded and watched intently as she closed the door and climbed in the driver's seat. The car rumbled to life and he sat back in his seat and turned his head to the window. He was content –and excited- to watch America pass him by on the drive home. Marie fully expected a flurry of questions to start as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot.

And she was right.

oOo

Marie pulled into the small house that she'd grown up in. Knowing Irene, the blind woman was waiting for them.

The engine came to a stop and Kurt clumsily unbuckled himself to stand on the seat and look out the window, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Marie glanced over her shoulder and smiled. She was extremely nervous, but watching Kurt she wondered how someone couldn't love the little boy.

"C'mon baby, let's get inside."

Kurt nodded and pulled his hood up before opening the door and jumping out. He landed on his feet with ease and closed the door to run around the back of the car to her.

"Come on Mama!" he tugged on her hand and Marie laughed.

She let her son drag her to the front door before he stopped and looked up at her expectantly. Taking a steadying breath, she rung the doorbell and waited. The door was opened by a slim, short haired brunette woman with dark sunglasses on.

"Anna?"

"Hey Irene." Marie then found herself enveloped in a warm hug from her foster mother.

"I missed you child."

"Missed ya too." She whispered, she hadn't realized just how much she'd missed her own mom until now.

They pulled apart and Irene gestured them inside and to the living room.

"Now...who is this little one with you?" she sat in a comfy looking armchair, her walking stick being put to the side.

Kurt jumped in surprise; he hadn't thought she'd been able to see him.

Marie licked her lips, "This is Kurt...my son." She waited for the flurry of yelling.

Irene smiled, "Well then come here Kurt, I want to see my grandson."

Kurt grinned and bounded over to the woman on all fours. He stood once he reached her and placed his hands on her knee. Irene laughed and pushed back his hood to playfully mess up his hair.

"Well, he is an exuberant one isn't he?"

Marie smiled and laughed as she sat on the couch, "That's one way ta put it."

Irene chuckled and lifted Kurt onto her lap; the little boy immediately decided he liked this woman. He tucked his head under her chin and nuzzled his furry face against the skin of her neck, eliciting a laugh from his new grandmother.

"Well, when my daughter went off to Germany I didn't expect her to come back with a grandson for me to spoil." As she spoke, Irene could sense that the little boy was smiling happily.

~_Well, I guess my vision was right. Give her a child and her powers are under control. I wonder why... ~_

oOo

The sun was setting as they entered their dark apartment. Kurt was -unsurprisingly- still awake having slept for the majority of the day, but Marie was exhausted.

The young mother yawned and locked the door before pulling off her shoes and tossing them to the side.

"C'mon munchkin, tahme for bed." Kurt followed her obediently to the bathroom where she quickly washed him up before taking him to his new room and put him to bed.

"See ya in the mornin' hun." She kissed him on the forehead and pulled the covers up.

The little boy nodded and curled up under the blankets of his new bed. The room was bare aside from the bed, dresser, closet and the curtains covering the window. This was the same for pretty much every other room in the apartment as well; they'd have to go shopping in the next few days. Or she would, Kurt would stay with Irene.

"Nacht Mama."

oOo

(1 Year Later)

Six year old Kurt Nathanial Di'Ancanto was not happy. It was snowing, he was stuck inside and his Mama was still gone. It wasn't that he didn't love Oma Irene, he did, he was just missing his mom.

"Come on sweetie, she'll be back soon enough." Kurt only sighed and went to sit at the kitchen table, dinner was simmering in a pot on the stove and scent of chicken, potatoes and carrots filled the small room.

Irene could tell her grandson was upset. Normally he would be in the backyard doing routines of flips and jumps that had her daughter terrified, and yet not once had he hurt himself. But with the snow coming down continuously outside he was stuck indoors.

A sudden blast of inspiration hit her and she went upstairs and started digging through her daughter's old things. Finally, she laid her hands on a box of crayons and a package of paper.

"Kurti, come here." She heard his soft footsteps come into the living room.

"Vhat is it Oma?"

"Here, why don't you draw something for your Mama for when she comes home?" she could tell Kurt started smiling as he took the things from her.

"Okay!" he said happily before setting up everything on the floor.

Kurt spread out the papers and lay on his stomach as he started drawing.

When Marie entered her mother's house several hours later, it was oddly calm. The news was playing, supper was cooking but her baby wasn't racing to the door.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

"Mama!" she smiled as Kurt came reeling around the corner to hug her legs. She laughed and went down to hug him back.

"Were you good for Oma?" she asked.

"He was wonderful. In fact I do believe he has something to show you. Don't you Kurti?"

The little boy nodded excitedly, "Yeah, yeah! I drew you pictures Mama! Come see!" he tugged her into the living room.

Marie smiled as she sat on the couch and Kurt jumped onto her lap with a small stack of papers. He then went through page by page, showing her his pictures of her, Oma, the living room and other things.

"These are wonderful baby." She kissed the top of his head and he smiled happily.

"Good, now you two want dinner?" Irene asked, already knowing Kurt's answer.

"Yay!" he jumped from his mother's lap and ran to the kitchen.

Marie giggled and put the pictures to the side, "Thanks for watching him Ma, I know he can be a handful sometimes."

Irene brushed it off, "No worries honey. I love the little ball of fur."

"Mama, Oma, come _on_ it's time to eat!"

The two women laughed and followed the little boy's voice, knowing if he didn't get food they wouldn't hear the end of it.

oOo

A/N: Okay, I'm insane, sleep deprived, _and_ have been sufficiently goaded into updating WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY earlier than normal. (within 48 hours of the last update...wow, I'm crazier than I thought)

Thank TopHat () because I laughed so hard in reading that review (remember, I'm sleep deprived, don't judge me) that I had to update. You're welcome.


	3. Healing, Math and Ink

Chapter 3: Healing, Math and Ink

Disclaimer: Nope.

A/N: Well, you guys must be pleased I've forgotten three birthdays: three updates!

Happy Birthday to my first friend on fanfiction, the lovely and sweet as candy: Link Fangirl01, who without I feel I never would have gotten over some terrible things in my life.

oOo

Marie woke up quickly and wondered for several seconds what had awoken her. The soft creak of her bedroom door caused her to role over and sit up only to spy a small figure standing in the doorway.

Kurt's glowing eyes were big and scared and he was hugging a stuffed wolf to his chest –a gift from his Oma for his sixth birthday.

"Hey baby, what's wrong?"

The little boy rushed to her side and clambered up onto the bed to huddle against her. He whimpered softly and she hugged him back, shushing him quietly while she rubbed his back.

"I had a bad dweam." He whispered softly.

"What was it about baby?" she asked quietly.

He whimpered, "They were hurting me." He whispered in a broken voice.

Marie felt her heart snap and she hugged him tighter, she'd hoped that his experiences in Germany wouldn't plague him but even if it had been nearly two years he was still haunted by the evils he'd gone through.

"They aren't going to hurt you again, baby. Ah won't let 'em." She reassured her trembling son.

He sniffed and nodded but didn't leave his spot curled to her side.

"You wanna stay here for tha nahght?"

He nodded again and settled down under the covers. It only took a few minutes for him to fall back asleep. He would wake up in the morning with no memory of his nightmares and Marie would watch him go through the day without a care in the world.

It still killed her that in the middle of the night, she could protect him from the real world, but she couldn't protect him from his memories. He wasn't even old enough to understand just what they'd done to him and no doubt the memories would –hopefully- fade as he grew older, but the fact that he still relived those haunting parts of his past made her sick.

oOo

Kurt, now seven years old, contemplated the tall tree in front of him that stood in his Oma's backyard. On the porch, his mother and grandmother were talking over cups of tea.

He circled the tree once before reaching up and taking hold of the bark with one hand, then the other one. Slowly he started climbing the rough trunk, all without either of the woman noticing. He climbed to the middle of the tree and glanced back and down, his mother still hadn't noticed what he was doing.

A mischievous grin on his face he scurried onto one of the branches and poked his head out of the branches, peaking into the neighbour's backyard.

A little girl was playing in the yard, being chased by a man that must have been her father. Her laughter reached his ears and he smiled to himself, it was a very happy sound.

Then he sighed, he couldn't talk to those people, no one could even know he existed. So he would have to be an observer. If only he could capture those moments.

His ears perked up as a sudden idea hit him. An excited smile on his face he hurried back down to the ground, dropping the last five feet and landing on all fours before he raced into the house.

Digging through drawers and cupboards he finally found what he was looking for and then raced back outside and to his perch. He crouched securely on the branch with help from his tail and balanced the pad of drawing paper on his knees and chewed his lip before putting pencil to paper and starting to recreate the scene unfolding before his eyes on the page.

oOo

"Okay kiddo, it's tahme for ya to learn something!" Marie announced as she set down several library books on the coffee table in front of Kurt who had been drawing on the couch.

"Learn what Mama?" he asked, barely a hint of accent left in his voice.

"Well, reading and math for example."

Kurt looked confused, "Why?"

She smiled, "Because you can't go to school with other kids, so Ah'm gonna make sure you're smarter than all of 'em!"

Kurt laughed, "Okay."

"_And_ we're going to go back to using German again."

Kurt looked surprised, but happy at the same time. He often translated what he was saying into his first language, he didn't want to lose that part of his heritage. Why, he didn't know, he just didn't want to forget that his mother had first found him in Germany.

"Now, let's get started!" Marie opened one of the books and had Kurt sit on her lap as she slowly started teaching him addition and subtraction.

oOo

Kurt worked on the math equations his mother had given him as she worked in the kitchen to make dinner. He had only been learning maths and history for two weeks, but he'd once again surprised his mother with his ability to learn things at a quick speed.

"Done!" he announced, finishing the last question.

"Alright, let's see." Marie finished stirring the stew and wiped off her hands as she came and leaned over the back of Kurt's chair to assess his work. As she did so, she also felt a small chime of sadness in her chest. Kurt was growing so fast her chin nearly brushed the top of his head when he was sitting, and he wasn't even in his gargoyle crouch like he often took up these days.

Hiding her sad sigh she put on a proud smile instead and ruffled his hair, "Good job kiddo, nine out of ten. You just need to remember to round properly, see?" she pointed out his small mistake and he nodded.

"Okay Mama!"

"Now go get washed up for supper." She kissed his cheek.

He gave her a grin and bounded to the bathroom to wash the ink from his hands. How he managed to get so much of it on him in one day went beyond her, but she just accepted it and settled for reminding him to wash his hands often.

oOo

Halloween approached the Di'Ancanto family with lack of the customary sense of excitement or impending doom most families felt in the calm before the storm of sugar rushes and costume hunting.

Kurt had no idea what Halloween was, and as normal he didn't enjoy sitting in front of the TV to watch the specials, but his eight year old curiosity was piqued by the costumes and Halloween specials that floated through the pop culture.

Hanging to the wall by his hands and feet he read the titles of the DVDs in the bookshelf below him. He caught a few that made him do a double take, such as: _Friday the 13__th__, Dawn of the Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, _and the name of the holiday itself _Halloween_.

He was oddly intrigued by the horror infused summaries on the backs of the cases and resolved to asking his mother about them when she got home from work. His grandmother wasn't in to movies of any kind really and asking her would be fruitless.

So, once Irene had gone home and his mother had started supper, he jumped up onto the counter to rest in his gargoyle crouch and began his questioning.

Marie was shocked at first by Kurt's questions about the horror movies, and told him that they weren't for kids his age.

"But Mama, I don't _get_ it. Why are those movies so bad?"

She ruffled his hair fondly, "They're too scary for you, hun."

He frowned, "But I _look_ like some of the guys in those movies." He argued and Marie froze.

She whipped around and gave her son a hard look, "You are _nothing_ like the creatures in those movies, understand Kurt? I don't want you to even _think_ something like that."

Kurt blinked, shocked by his mother's anger and could only nod before jumping down and going to his room, wondering what exactly he'd done to warrant such a reaction.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Kurt jumped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking hard. He hadn't said any bad words, he hadn't said anything mean; he was just stating a fact. He _did_ look like a scary creature like in those movies. So why had his Mama gotten mad?

Sighing he curled up in his side and drew his tail around him and started kneading the spade between two fingers, a habit he took up when thinking.

Maybe he would never understand, or maybe he would understand when he got older. Only time would tell.

oOo


End file.
